Page 4 - the-odyssey

repeatedly before the English and Italian public ever since
they appeared (without rejoinder) in the ‘Athenaeum’ for
January 30 and February 20, 1892. Both contentions were
urged (also without rejoinder) in the Johnian ‘Eagle’ for the
Lent and October terms of the same year. Nothing to which
I should reply has reached me from any quarter, and know-
ing how anxiously I have endeavoured to learn the existence
of any flaws in my argument, I begin to feel some confi-
dence that, did such flaws exist, I should have heard, at any
rate about some of them, before now. Without, therefore,
for a moment pretending to think that scholars generally
acquiesce in my conclusions, I shall act as thinking them
little likely so to gainsay me as that it will be incumbent
upon me to reply, and shall confine myself to translating
the ‘Odyssey’ for English readers, with such notes as I think
will be found useful. Among these I would especially call
attention to one on xxii. 465-473 which Lord Grimthorpe
has kindly allowed me to make public.
I have repeated several of the illustrations used in ‘The
Authoress of the Odyssey’, and have added two which
I hope may bring the outer court of Ulysses’ house more
vividly before the reader. I should like to explain that the
presence of a man and a dog in one illustration is accidental,
and was not observed by me till I developed the negative. In
an appendix I have also reprinted the paragraphs explana-
tory of the plan of Ulysses’ house, together with the plan
itself. The reader is recommended to study this plan with
some attention.
In the preface to my translation of the ‘Iliad’ I have given